The Memoirs of General W. T. Sherman, Complete by William T. Sherman

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3. As soon as the army starts, the chief-quartermaster andcommissary will prepare a resupply of stores at some point onPamlico or Albemarle Sounds, ready to be conveyed to Kinston orWinton and Murfreesboro', according to developments. As soon asthey have satisfactory information that the army is north of theRoanoke, they will forthwith establish a depot at Winton, with asub-depot at Murfreesboro'. Major-General Schofield will hold, asheretofore, Wilmington (with the bridge across Northern Branch asan outpost), Newborn (and Kinston as its outpost), and will beprepared to hold Winton and Murfreesboro' as soon as the timearrives for that move. The navy has instructions from AdmiralPorter to cooperate, and any commanding officer is authorized tocall on the navy for assistance and cooperation, always in writing,setting forth the reasons, of which necessarilly the navalcommander must be the judge.

4. The general-in-chief will be with the centre habitually, butmay in person shift to either flank where his presence may beneeded, leaving a staff-officer to receive reports. He requires,absolutely, a report of each army or grand detachment each night,whether any thing material has occurred or not, for often theabsence of an enemy is a very important fact in militaryprognostication.

By order of Major-General W. T. Sherman,

L. M. DAYTON, Assistant Adjutant-General.

But the whole problem became suddenly changed by the news of thefall of Richmond and Petersburg, which reached as at Goldsboro', onthe 6th of April. The Confederate Government, with Lee's army, hadhastily abandoned Richmond, fled in great disorder toward Danville,and General Grant's whole army was in close pursuit. Of course, Iinferred that General Lee would succeed in making junction withGeneral Johnston, with at least a fraction of his army, somewhereto my front. I at once altered the foregoing orders, and preparedon the day appointed, viz., April 10th, to move straight onRaleigh, against the army of General Johnston, known to be atSmithfield, and supposed to have about thirty-five thousand men.Wade Hampton's cavalry was on his left front and Wheeler's on hisright front, simply watching us and awaiting our initiative.Meantime the details of the great victories in Virginia came thickand fast, and on the 8th I received from General Grant thiscommunication, in the form of a cipher-dispatch:

HEADQUARTERS ARMIES OF THE UNITED STATESWILSON'S STATION, April 5, 1865

Major-General SHERMAN, Goldsboro', North Carolina:

All indications now are that Lee will attempt to reach Danvillewith the remnant of his force. Sheridan, who was up with him lastnight, reports all that is left with him--horse, foot, anddragoons--at twenty thousand, much demoralized. We hope to reducethis number one-half. I will push on to Burkesville, and, if astand is made at Danville, will, in a very few days, go there. Ifyou can possibly do so, push on from where you are, and let us seeif we cannot finish the job with Lee's and Johnston's armies.Whether it will be better for you to strike for Greensboro' ornearer to Danville, you will be better able to judge when youreceive this. Rebel armies now are the only strategic points tostrike at.

U. S. GRANT, Lieutenant-General.

I answered immediately that we would move on the 10th, prepared tofollow Johnston wherever he might go. Promptly on Monday morning,April 10th, the army moved straight on Smithfield; the right wingmaking a circuit by the right, and the left wing, supported by thecentre, moving on the two direct roads toward Raleigh, distantfifty miles. General Terry's and General Kilpatrick's troops movedfrom their positions on the south or west bank of the Neuse Riverin the same general direction, by Cox's Bridge. On the 11th wereached Smithfield, and found it abandoned by Johnston's army,which had retreated hastily on Raleigh, burning the bridges. Torestore these consumed the remainder of the day, and during thatnight I received a message from General Grant, at Appomattox, thatGeneral Lee had surrendered to him his whole army, which I at onceannounced to the troops in orders:

[Special Field Orders, No. 54]

HEADQUARTERS MILITARY DIVISION OF THE MISSISSIPPIIN THE FIELD, SMITHFIELD, NORTH CAROLINA, April 12, 1865.

The general commanding announces to the army that he has officialnotice from General Grant that General Lee surrendered to him hisentire army, on the 9th inst., at Appomattox Court-House, Virginia.

Glory to God and our country, and all honor to our comrades inarms, toward whom we are marching!

A little more labor, a little more toil on our part, the great raceis won, and our Government stands regenerated, after four longyears of war.

W. T. SHERMAN, Major-General commanding.

Of course, this created a perfect furore, of rejoicing, and we allregarded the war as over, for I knew well that General Johnston hadno army with which to oppose mine. So that the only questions thatremained were, would he surrender at Raleigh? or would he allowhis army to disperse into guerrilla bands, to "die in the lastditch," and entail on his country an indefinite and prolongedmilitary occupation, and of consequent desolation? I knew wellthat Johnston's army could not be caught; the country was too open;and, without wagons, the men could escape us, disperse, andassemble again at some place agreed on, and thus the war might beprolonged indefinitely.

I then remembered Mr. Lincoln's repeated expression that he wantedthe rebel soldiers not only defeated, but "back at their homes,engaged in their civil pursuits." On the evening of the 12th I waswith the head of Slocum's column, at Gulley's, and GeneralKilpatrick's cavalry was still ahead, fighting Wade Hampton'srear-guard, with orders to push it through Raleigh, while I wouldgive a more southerly course to the infantry columns, so as, ifpossible, to prevent a retreat southward. On the 13th, early, Ientered Raleigh, and ordered the several heads of column towardAshville in the direction of Salisbury or Charlotte. Beforereaching Raleigh, a locomotive came down the road to meet me,passing through both Wade Hampton's and Kilpatrick's cavalry,bringing four gentlemen, with a letter from Governor Vance to me,asking protection for the citizens of Raleigh. These gentlemenwere, of course, dreadfully excited at the dangers through whichthey had passed. Among them were ex-Senator Graham, Mr. Swain,president of Chapel Hill University, and a Surgeon Warren, of theConfederate army. They had come with a flag of truce, to whichthey were not entitled; still, in the interest of peace, Irespected it, and permitted them to return to Raleigh with theirlocomotive, to assure the Governor and the people that the war wassubstantially over, and that I wanted the civil authorities toremain in the execution of their office till the pleasure of thePresident could be ascertained. On reaching Raleigh I found thesesame gentlemen, with Messrs. Badger, Bragg, Holden, and others, butGovernor Vance had fled, and could not be prevailed on to return,because he feared an arrest and imprisonment. From the Raleighnewspapers of the 10th I learned that General Stoneman, with hisdivision of cavalry, had come across the mountains from EastTennessee, had destroyed the railroad at Salisbury, and was thensupposed to be approaching Greensboro'. I also learned thatGeneral Wilson's cavalry corps was "smashing things" down aboutSelma and Montgomery, Alabama, and was pushing for Columbus andMacon, Georgia; and I also had reason to expect that GeneralSheridan would come down from Appomattox to join us at Raleigh withhis superb cavalry corps. I needed more cavalry to checkJohnston's retreat, so that I could come up to him with myinfantry, and therefore had good reason to delay. I ordered therailroad to be finished up to Raleigh, so that I could operate fromit as a base, and then made:

[Special Field Orders, No. 55]

HEADQUARTERS MILITARY DIVISION OF THE MISSISSIPPI IN THE FIELD,RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA, April 14, 1865.

The next movement will be on Ashboro', to turn the position of theenemy at the "Company's Shops" in rear of Haw River Bridge, and atGreensboro', and to cut off his only available line of retreat bySalisbury and Charlotte:

1. General Kilpatrick will keep up a show of pursuit in thedirection of Hillsboro' and Graham, but be ready to cross Haw Riveron General Howard's bridge, near Pittsboro', and thence willoperate toward Greensboro', on the right front of the right wing.

2. The right wing, Major-General Howard commanding, will move outon the Chapel Hill road, and send a light division up in thedirection of Chapel Hill University to act in connection with thecavalry; but the main columns and trains will move via Hackney'sCross-Roads, and Trader's Hill, Pittsboro', St. Lawrence, etc., tobe followed by the cavalry and light division, as soon as thebridge is laid over Haw River.

4. The left wing, Major-General Slocum commanding, will moverapidly by the Aven's Ferry road, Carthage, Caledonia, and Cox'sMills.

5. All the troops will draw well out on the roads designatedduring today and to-morrow, and on the following day will move withall possible rapidity for Ashboro'. No further destruction ofrailroads, mills, cotton, and produce, will be made without thespecific orders of an army commander, and the inhabitants will bedealt with kindly, looking to an early reconciliation. The troopswill be permitted, however, to gather forage and provisions asheretofore; only more care should be taken not to strip the poorerclasses too closely.

By order of General W. T. Sherman,

L. M. DAYTON, Assistant Adjutant-General.

Thus matters stood, when on the morning of the 14th GeneralKilpatrick reported from Durham's Station, twenty-six miles up therailroad toward Hillsboro', that a flag of truce had come in fromthe enemy with a package from General Johnston addressed to me.Taking it for granted that this was preliminary to a surrender, Iordered the message to be sent me at Raleigh, and on the 14threceived from General Johnston a letter dated April 13, 1865, inthese words:

The results of the recent campaign in Virginia have changed therelative military condition of the belligerents. I am, therefore,induced to address you in this form the inquiry whether, to stopthe further effusion of blood and devastation of property, you arewilling to make a temporary suspension of active operations, and tocommnnicate to Lieutenant-General Grant, commanding the armies ofthe United States, the request that he will take like action inregard to other armies, the object being to permit the civilauthorities to enter into the needful arrangements to terminate theexisting war.

To which I replied as follows:

HEADQUARTERS MILITARY DIVISION OF THE MISSISSIPPIIN THE FIELD, RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA, April 14, 1865.

General J. E. JOHNSTON, commanding Confederate Army.

GENERAL: I have this moment received your communication of thisdate. I am fully empowered to arrange with you any terms for thesuspension of farther hostilities between the armies commanded byyou and those commanded by myself, and will be willing to conferwith you to that end. I will limit the advance of my main column,to-morrow, to Morrisville, and the cavalry to the university, andexpect that you will also maintain the present position of yourforces until each has notice of a failure to agree.

That a basis of action may be had, I undertake to abide by the sameterms and conditions as were made by Generals Grant and Lee atAppomattox Court-House, on the 9th instant, relative to our twoarmies; and, furthermore, to obtain from General Grant an order tosuspend the movements of any troops from the direction of Virginia.General Stoneman is under my command, and my order will suspend anydevastation or destruction contemplated by him. I will add that Ireally desire to save the people of North Carolina the damage theywould sustain by the march of this army through the central orwestern parts of the State.

I am, with respect, your obedient servant,

W. T. SHERMAN, Major-General.

I sent my aide-de-camp, Colonel McCoy, up to Durham's Station withthis letter, with instructions to receive the answer, to telegraphits contents back to me at Raleigh, and to arrange for aninterview. On the 16th I received a reply from General Johnston,agreeing to meet me the next day at a point midway between ouradvance at Durham and his rear at Hillsboro'. I ordered a car andlocomotive to be prepared to convey me up to Durham's at eighto'clock of the morning of April 17th. Just as we were entering thecar, the telegraph-operator, whose office was up-stairs in thedepot-building, ran down to me and said that he was at that instantof time receiving a most important dispatch in cipher from MoreheadCity, which I ought to see. I held the train for nearly half anhour, when he returned with the message translated and written out.It was from Mr. Stanton, announcing the assassination of Mr.Lincoln, the attempt on the life of Mr. Seward and son, and asuspicion that a like fate was designed for General Grant and allthe principal officers of the Government. Dreading the effect ofsuch a message at that critical instant of time, I asked theoperator if any one besides himself had seen it; he answered No!I then bade him not to reveal the contents by word or look till Icame back, which I proposed to do the same afternoon. The trainthen started, and, as we passed Morris's Station, General Logan,commanding the Fifteenth Corps, came into my car, and I told him Iwanted to see him on my return, as I had something very importantto communicate. He knew I was going to meet General Johnston, andvolunteered to say that he hoped I would succeed in obtaining hissurrender, as the whole army dreaded the long march to Charlotte(one hundred and seventy-five miles), already begun, but which hadbeen interrupted by the receipt of General Johnston's letter of the13th. We reached Durham's, twenty-six miles, about 10 a.m., whereGeneral Kilpatrick had a squadron of cavalry drawn up to receiveme. We passed into the house in which he had his headquarters, andsoon after mounted some led horses, which he had prepared formyself and staff. General Kilpatrick sent a man ahead with a whiteflag, followed by a small platoon, behind which we rode, and werefollowed by the rest of the escort. We rode up the Hillsboro' roadfor about five miles, when our flag bearer discovered anothercoming to meet him: They met, and word was passed back to us thatGeneral Johnston was near at hand, when we rode forward and metGeneral Johnston on horseback, riding side by side with GeneralWade Hampton. We shook hands, and introduced our respectiveattendants. I asked if there was a place convenient where we couldbe private, and General Johnston said he had passed a smallfarmhouse a short distance back, when we rode back to it togetherside by side, our staff-officers and escorts following. We hadnever met before, though we had been in the regular army togetherfor thirteen years; but it so happened that we had never beforecometogether. He was some twelve or more years my senior; but we knewenough of each other to be well acquainted at once. We soonreached the house of a Mr. Bennett, dismounted, and left our horseswith orderlies in the road. Our officers, on foot, passed into theyard, and General Johnston and I entered the small frame-house. Weasked the farmer if we could have the use of his house for a fewminutes, and he and his wife withdrew into a smaller log-house,which stood close by.

As soon as we were alone together I showed him the dispatchannouncing Mr. Lincoln's assassination, and watched him closely.The perspiration came out in large drops on his forehead, and hedid not attempt to conceal his distress. He denounced the act as adisgrace to the age, and hoped I did not charge it to theConfederate Government. I told him I could not believe that he orGeneral Lee, or the officers of the Confederate army, couldpossibly be privy to acts of assassination; but I would not say asmuch for Jeff. Davis, George Sanders, and men of that stripe. Wetalked about the effect of this act on the country at large and onthe armies, and he realized that it made my situation extremelydelicate. I explained to him that I had not yet revealed the newsto my own personal staff or to the army, and that I dreaded theeffect when made known in Raleigh. Mr. Lincoln was peculiarlyendeared to the soldiers, and I feared that some foolish woman orman in Raleigh might say something or do something that wouldmadden our men, and that a fate worse than that of Columbia wouldbefall the place.

I then told Johnston that he must be convinced that he could notoppose my army, and that, since Lee had surrendered, he could dothe same with honor and propriety. He plainly and repeatedlyadmitted this, and added that any further fighting would be"murder;" but he thought that, instead of surrendering piecemeal,we might arrange terms that would embrace all the Confederatearmies. I asked him if he could control other armies than his own;he said, not then, but intimated that he could procure authorityfrom Mr. Davis. I then told him that I had recently had aninterview with General Grant and President Lincoln, and that I waspossessed of their views; that with them and the people North thereseemed to be no vindictive feeling against the Confederate armies,but there was against Davis and his political adherents; and thatthe terms that General Grant had given to General Lee's army werecertainly most generous and liberal. All this he admitted, butalways recurred to the idea of a universal surrender, embracing hisown army, that of Dick Taylor in Louisiana and Texas, and of Maury,Forrest, and others, in Alabama and Georgia. General Johnston'saccount of our interview in his "Narrative" (page 402, et seq.) isquite accurate and correct, only I do not recall his naming thecapitulation of Loeben, to which he refers. Our conversation wasvery general and extremely cordial, satisfying me that it couldhave but one result, and that which we all desired, viz., to endthe war as quickly as possible; and, being anxious to return toRaleigh before the news of Mr. Lincoln's assassination could bedivulged, on General Johnston's saying that he thought that, duringthe night, he could procure authority to act in the name of all theConfederate armies in existence we agreed to meet again the nextday at noon at the same place, and parted, he for Hillsboro' and Ifor Raleigh.

We rode back to Durham's Station in the order we had come, and thenI showed the dispatch announcing Mr. Lincoln's death. I cautionedthe officers to watch the soldiers closely, to prevent any violentretaliation by them, leaving that to the Government at Washington;and on our way back to Raleigh in the cars I showed the samedispatch to General Logan and to several of the officers of theFifteenth Corps that were posted at Morrisville and Jones'sStation, all of whom were deeply impressed by it; but all gavetheir opinion that this sad news should not change our generalcourse of action.

As soon as I reached Raleigh I published the following orders tothe army, announcing the assassination of the President, and Idoubt if, in the whole land, there were more sincere mourners overhis sad fate than were then in and about Raleigh. I watched theeffect closely, and was gratified that there was no single act ofretaliation; though I saw and felt that one single word by me wouldhave laid the city in ashes, and turned its whole populationhouseless upon the country, if not worse:

[Special Field Orders, No. 56.]

HEADQUARTERS MILITARY DIVISION OF THE MISSISSIPPIIN THE FIELD, RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA, April 17, 1865.

The general commanding announces, with pain and sorrow, that on theevening of the 14th instant, at the theatre in Washington city, hisExcellency the President of the United States, Mr. Lincoln, wasassassinated by one who uttered the State motto of Virginia. Atthe same time, the Secretary of State, Mr. Seward, while sufferingfrom a broken arm, was also stabbed by another murderer in his ownhouse, but still survives, and his son was wounded, supposedfatally. It is believed, by persons capable of judging, that otherhigh officers were designed to share the same fate. Thus it seemsthat our enemy, despairing of meeting us in open, manly warfare,begins to resort to the assassin's tools.

Your general does not wish you to infer that this is universal, forhe knows that the great mass of the Confederate army would scorn tosanction each acts, but he believes it the legitimate consequenceof rebellion against rightful authority.

We have met every phase which this war has assumed, and must now beprepared for it in its last and worst shape, that of assassins andguerrillas; but woe onto the people who seek to expend their wildpassions in such a manner, for there is but one dread result!

By order of Major-General W. T. Sherman,

L. M. DAYTON, Assistant Adjutant-General.

During the evening of the 17th and morning of the 18th I saw nearlyall the general officers of the army (Schofield, Slocum, Howard,Logan, Blair), and we talked over the matter of the conference atBennett's house of the day before, and, without exception, alladvised me to agree to some terms, for they all dreaded the longand harassing march in pursuit of a dissolving and fleeing army--a march that might carry us back again over the thousand miles thatwe had just accomplished. We all knew that if we could bringJohnston's army to bay, we could destroy it in an hour, but thatwas simply impossible in the country in which we found ourselves.We discussed all the probabilities, among which was, whether, ifJohnston made a point of it, I should assent to the escape from thecountry of Jeff. Davis and his fugitive cabinet; and some one of mygeneral officers, either Logan or Blair, insisted that, if askedfor, we should even provide a vessel to carry them to Nassau fromCharleston.

The next morning I again started in the cars to Durham's Station,accompanied by most of my personal staff, and by Generals Blair,Barry, Howard, etc., and, reaching General Kilpatrick'sheadquarters at Durham's, we again mounted, and rode, with the sameescort of the day, before, to Bennett's house, reaching therepunctually at noon. General Johnston had not yet arrived, but acourier shortly came, and reported him as on the way. It must havebeen nearly 2 p.m. when he arrived, as before, with General WadeHampton. He had halted his escort out of sight, and we againentered Bennett's house, and I closed the door. General Johnstonthen assured me that he had authority over all the Confederatearmies, so that they would obey his orders to surrender on the sameterms with his own, but he argued that, to obtain so cheaply thisdesirable result, I ought to give his men and officers someassurance of their political rights after their surrender. Iexplained to him that Mr. Lincoln's proclamation of amnesty, ofDecember 8, 1863, still in force; enabled every Confederate soldierand officer, below the rank of colonel, to obtain an absolutepardon, by simply laying down his arms, and taking the common oathof allegiance, and that General Grant, in accepting the surrenderof General Lee's army, had extended the same principle to all theofficers, General Lee included; such a pardon, I understood, wouldrestore to them all their rights of citizenship. But he insistedthat the officers and men of the Confederate army wereunnecessarily alarmed about this matter, as a sort of bugbear. Hethen said that Mr. Breckenridge was near at hand, and he thoughtthat it would be well for him to be present. I objected, on thescore that he was then in Davis's cabinet, and our negotiationsshould be confined strictly to belligerents. He then saidBreckenridge was a major-general in the Confederate army, and mightsink his character of Secretary of War. I consented, and he sentone of his staff-officers back, who soon returned withBreckenridge, and he entered the room. General Johnston and I thenagain went over the whole ground, and Breckenridge confirmed whathe had said as to the uneasiness of the Southern officers andsoldiers about their political rights in case of surrender. Whilewe were in consultation, a messenger came with a parcel of papers,which General Johnston said were from Mr. Reagan,Postmaster-General. He and Breckenridge looked over them, and,after some side conversation, he handed one of the papers to me.It was in Reagan's handwriting, and began with a long preamble andterms, so general and verbose, that I said they were inadmissible.Then recalling the conversation of Mr. Lincoln, at City Point, Isat down at the table, and wrote off the terms, which I thoughtconcisely expressed his views and wishes, and explained that I waswilling to submit these terms to the new President, Mr. Johnson,provided that both armies should remain in statu quo until thetruce therein declared should expire. I had full faith thatGeneral Johnston would religiously respect the truce, which he did;and that I would be the gainer, for in the few days it would taketo send the papers to Washington, and receive an answer, I couldfinish the railroad up to Raleigh, and be the better prepared for along chase.

Neither Mr. Breckenridge nor General Johnston wrote one word ofthat paper. I wrote it myself, and announced it as the best Icould do, and they readily assented.

While copies of this paper were being made for signature, theofficers of our staffs commingled in the yard at Bennett's house,and were all presented to Generals Johnston and Breckenridge. Allwithout exception were rejoiced that the war was over, and that ina very few days we could turn our faces toward home. I remembertelling Breckenridge that he had better get away, as the feeling ofour people was utterly hostile to the political element of theSouth, and to him especially, because he was the Vice-President ofthe United States, who had as such announced Mr. Lincoln, ofIllinois, duly and properly elected the President of the UnitedStates, and yet that he had afterward openly rebelled and taken uparms against the Government. He answered me that he surely wouldgive us no more trouble, and intimated that he would speedily leavethe country forever. I may have also advised him that Mr. Davistoo should get abroad as soon as possible.

The papers were duly signed; we parted about dark, and my partyreturned to Raleigh. Early the next morning, April 19th, Idispatched by telegraph to Morehead City to prepare a fleet-steamerto carry a messenger to Washington, and sent Major Henry Hitchcockdown by rail, bearing the following letters, and agreement withGeneral Johnston, with instructions to be very careful to letnothing escape him to the greedy newspaper correspondents, but tosubmit his papers to General Halleck, General Grant, or theSecretary of War, and to bring me back with all expedition theirorders and instructions.

On their face they recited that I had no authority to make finalterms involving civil or political questions, but that I submittedthem to the proper quarter in Washington for their action; and theletters fully explained that the military situation was such thatthe delay was an advantage to us. I cared little whether they wereapproved, modified, or disapproved in toto; only I wantedinstructions. Many of my general officers, among whom, I am almostpositive, were Generals Logan and Blair, urged me to accept the"terms," without reference at all to Washington, but I preferredthe latter course:

HEADQUARTERS MILITARY DIVIBION OF THE MISSISSIPPI, IN THE FIELD,RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA, April 18, 1886.

General H. W. HALLECK, Chief of Staff, Washington, D. C.

GENERAL: I received your dispatch describing the man Clark,detailed to assassinate me. He had better be in a hurry, or hewill be too late.

The news of Mr. Lincoln's death produced a most intense effect onour troops. At first I feared it would lead to excesses; but nowit has softened down, and can easily be guided. None evinced morefeeling than General Johnston, who admitted that the act wascalculated to stain his cause with a dark hue; and he contendedthat the loss was most serious to the South, who had begun torealize that Mr. Lincoln was the best friend they had.

I cannot believe that even Mr. Davis was privy to the diabolicalplot, but think it the emanation of a set of young men of theSouth, who are very devils. I want to throw upon the South thecare of this class of men, who will soon be as obnoxious to theirindustrial classes as to us.

Had I pushed Johnston's army to an extremity, it would havedispersed, and done infinite mischief. Johnston informed me thatGeneral Stoneman had been at Salisbury, and was now at Statesville.I have sent him orders to come to me.

General Johnston also informed me that General Wilson was atColmbia, Georgia, and he wanted me to arrest his progress. I leavethat to you.

Indeed, if the President sanctions my agreement with Johnston, ourinterest is to cease all destruction.

Please give all orders necessary according to the views theExecutive may take, and influence him, if possible, not to vary theterms at all, for I have considered every thing, and believe that,the Confederate armies once dispersed, we can adjust all elsefairly and well. I am, yours, etc.,

W. T. SHERMAN, Major-General commanding.

HEADQUARTERS MILITARY DIVISION OF THE MISSISSIPPIIN THE FIELD, RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA, April 18, 1865.

GENERAL: I inclose herewith a copy of an agreement made this daybetween General Joseph E. Johnston and myself, which, if approvedby the President of the United States, will produce peace from thePotomac to the Rio Grande. Mr. Breckenridge was present at ourconference, in the capacity of major-general, and satisfied me ofthe ability of General Johnston to carry out to their full extentthe terms of this agreement; and if you will get the President tosimply indorse the copy, and commission me to carry out the terms,I will follow them to the conclusion.

You will observe that it is an absolute submission of the enemy tothe lawful authority of the United States, and disperses his armiesabsolutely; and the point to which I attach most importance is,that the dispersion and disbandment of these armies is done in sucha manner as to prevent their breaking up into guerrilla bands. Onthe other hand, we can retain just as much of an army as we please.I agreed to the mode and manner of the surrender of arms set forth,as it gives the States the means of repressing guerrillas, which wecould not expect them to do if we stripped them of all arms.

Both Generals Johnston and Breckenridge admitted that slavery wasdead, and I could not insist on embracing it in such a paper,because it can be made with the States in detail. I know that allthe men of substance South sincerely want peace, and I do notbelieve they will resort to war again during this century. I haveno doubt that they will in the future be perfectly subordinate tothe laws of the United States. The moment my action in this matteris approved, I can spare five corps, and will ask for orders toleave General Schofield here with the Tenth Corps, and to marchmyself with the Fourteenth, Fifteenth, Seventeenth, Twentieth, andTwenty-third Corps via Burkesville and Gordonsville to Frederick orHagerstown, Maryland, there to be paid and mustered out.

The question of finance is now the chief one, and every soldier andofficer not needed should be got home at work. I would like to beable to begin the march north by May 1st.

I urge, on the part of the President, speedy action, as it isimportant to get the Confederate armies to their homes as well asour own.

I am, with great respect, your obedient servant,

W. T. SHERMAN, Major-General commanding.

Memorandum, or Basis of agreement, made this 18th day of April, A.D. 1865, near Durham's Station, in the State of North Carolina, byand between General Joseph E. JOHNSTON, commanding the ConfederateArmy, and Major-General William T. SHERMAN, commanding the army ofthe United States in North Carolina, both present:

1. The contending armies now in the field to maintain the statuquo until notice is given by the commanding general of any one toits opponent, and reasonable time--say, forty-eight hours--allowed.

2. The Confederate armies now in existence to be disbanded andconducted to their several State capitals, there to deposit theirarms and public property in the State Arsenal; and each officer andman to execute and file an agreement to cease from acts of war, andto abide the action of the State and Federal authority. The numberof arms and munitions of war to be reported to the Chief ofOrdnance at Washington City, subject to the future action of theCongress of the United States, and, in the mean time, to be neededsolely to maintain peace and order within the borders of the Statesrespectively.

3. The recognition, by the Executive of the United States, of theseveral State governments, on their officers and Legislaturestaking the oaths prescribed by the Constitution of the UnitedStates, and, where conflicting State governments have resulted fromthe war, the legitimacy of all shall be submitted to the SupremeCourt of the United States.

4. The reestablishment of all the Federal Courts in the severalStates, with powers as defined by the Constitution of the UnitedStates and of the States respectively.

5. The people and inhabitants of all the States to be guaranteed,so far as the Executive can, their political rights and franchises,as well as their rights of person sad property, as defined by theConstitution of the United States and of the States respectively.

6. The Executive authority of the Government of the United Statesnot to disturb any of the people by reason of the late war, so longas they live in peace and quiet, abstain from acts of armedhostility, and obey the laws in existence at the place of theirresidence.

7. In general terms--the war to cease; a general amnesty, so faras the Executive of the United States can command, on condition ofthe disbandment of the Confederate armies, the distribution of thearms, and the resumption of peaceful pursuits by the officers andmen hitherto composing said armies.

Not being fully empowered by our respective principals to fulfillthese terms, we individually and officially pledge ourselves topromptly obtain the necessary authority, and to carry out the aboveprogramme.

W. T. SHERMAN, Major-General,Commanding Army of the United States in North Carolina.

J. E. JOHNSTON, General,Commanding Confederate States Army in North Carolina.

Major Hitchcock got off on the morning of the 20th, and I reckonedthat it would take him four or five days to go to Washington andback. During that time the repairs on all the railroads andtelegraph-lines were pushed with energy, and we also got possessionof the railroad and telegraph from Raleigh to Weldon, in thedirection of Norfolk. Meantime the troops remained statu quo, ourcavalry occupying Durham's Station and Chapel Hill. GeneralSlocum's head of column was at Aven's Ferry on Cape Fear River, andGeneral Howard's was strung along the railroad toward Hillsboro';the rest of the army was in and about Raleigh.

On the 20th I reviewed the Tenth Corps, and was much pleased at theappearance of General Paines's division of black troops, the firstI had ever seen as a part of an organized army; and on the 21st Ireviewed the Twenty-third Corps, which had been with me to Atlanta,but had returned to Nashville had formed an essential part of thearmy which fought at Franklin, and with which General Thomas haddefeated General Hood in Tennessee. It had then been transferredrapidly by rail to Baltimore and Washington by General Grant'sorders, and thence by sea to North Carolina. Nothing of interesthappened at Raleigh till the evening of April 23d, when MajorHitchcock reported by telegraph his return to Morehead City, andthat he would come up by rail during the night. He arrived at 6a.m., April 24th, accompanied by General Grant and one or twoofficers of his staff, who had not telegraphed the fact of theirbeing on the train, for prudential reasons. Of course, I was bothsurprised and pleased to see the general, soon learned that myterms with Johnston had been disapproved, was instructed by him togive the forty-eight hours' notice required by the terms of thetruce, and afterward to proceed to attack or follow him. Iimmediately telegraphed to General Kilpatrick, at Durham's, to havea mounted courier ready to carry the following message, then on itsway up by rail, to the rebel lines:

HEADQUARTERS MILITARY DIVISION OF THE MISSISSIPPIIN THE FIELD, RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA, April 24, 1865 6 A.M.

General JOHNSTON, commanding Confederate Army, Greensboro':

You will take notice that the truce or suspension of hostilitiesagreed to between us will cease in forty-eight hours after this isreceived at your lines, under the first of the articles ofagreement.

W. T. SHERMAN, Major-General.

At the same time I wrote another short note to General Johnston, ofthe same date:

I have replies from Washington to my communications of April 18th.I am instructed to limit my operations to your immediate command,and not to attempt civil negotiations. I therefore demand thesurrender of your army on the same terms as were given to GeneralLee at Appomattox, April 9th instant, purely and simply.

Of course, both these papers were shown to General Grant at thetime, before they were sent, and he approved of them.

At the same time orders were sent to all parts of the army to beready to resume the pursuit of the enemy on the expiration of theforty-eight hours' truce, and messages were sent to GeneralGillmore (at Hilton Head) to the same effect, with instructions toget a similar message through to General Wilson, at Macon, by somemeans.

General Grant had brought with him, from Washington, writtenanswers from the Secretary of War, and of himself, to mycommunications of the 18th, which I still possess, and here givethe originals. They embrace the copy of a dispatch made by Mr.Stanton to General Grant, when he was pressing Lee at Appomattox,which dispatch, if sent me at the same time (as should have beendone), would have saved a world of trouble. I did not understandthat General Grant had come down to supersede me in command, nordid he intimate it, nor did I receive these communications as aserious reproof, but promptly acted on them, as is already shown;and in this connection I give my answer made to General Grant, atRaleigh, before I had received any answer from General Johnston tothe demand for the surrender of his own army, as well as my answerto Mr. Stanton's letter, of the same date, both written on thesupposition that I might have to start suddenly in pursuit ofJohnston, and have no other chance to explain.

WAR DEPARTMENT, WASHINGTON CITY, April 21, 1865.

Lieutenant-General GRANT.

GENERAL: The memorandum or basis agreed upon between GeneralSherman and General Johnston having been submitted to thePresident, they are disapproved. You will give notice of thedisapproval to General Sherman, and direct him to resumehostilities at the earliest moment.

The instructions given to you by the late President, AbrahamLincoln, on the 3d of March, by my telegraph of that date,addressed to you, express substantially the views of PresidentAndrew Johnson, and will be observed by General Sherman. A copy isherewith appended.

The President desires that you proceed immediately to theheadquarters of Major-General Sherman, and direct operationsagainst the enemy.

Yours truly,

EDWIN M. STANTON, Secretary of War.

The following telegram was received 2 p.m., City Point, March 4,1865 (from Washington, 12 M., March 3,1865)

[CIPHER]

OFFICE UNITED STATES MILITARY TELEGRAPH,HEADQUARTERS ARMIES OF THE UNITED STATES

Lieutenant-General GRANT:

The President directs me to say to you that he wishes you to haveno conference with General Lee, unless it be for the capitulationof Lee's army or on solely minor and purely military matters.

He instructs me to say that you are not to decide, discuss, orconfer upon any political question; such questions the Presidentholds in his own hands, and will submit them to no militaryconferences or conventions.

Meantime you are to press to the utmost your military advantages.

EDWIN M. STANTON, Secretary of War.

HEADQUARTERS ARMIES OF THE UNITED STATESWASHINGTON, D.C. April 21, 1865.

GENERAL: The basis of agreement entered into between yourself andGeneral J. E. Johnston, for the disbandment of the Southern army,and the extension of the authority of the General Government overall the territory belonging to it, sent for the approval of thePresident, is received.

I read it carefully myself before submitting it to the Presidentand Secretary of War, and felt satisfied that it could not possiblybe approved. My reason for these views I will give you at anothertime, in a more extended letter.

Your agreement touches upon questions of such vital importancethat, as soon as read, I addressed a note to the Secretary of War,notifying him of their receipt, and the importance of immediateaction by the President; and suggested, in view of theirimportance, that the entire Cabinet be called together, that allmight give an expression of their opinions upon the matter. Theresult was a disapproval by the President of the basis laid down; adisapproval of the negotiations altogether except for the surrenderof the army commanded by General Johnston, and directions to me tonotify you of this decision. I cannot do no better than by sendingyou the inclosed copy of a dispatch (penned by the late President,though signed by the Secretary of War) in answer to me, on sendinga letter received from General Lee, proposing to meet me for thepurpose of submitting the question of peace to a convention ofofficers.

Please notify General Johnston, immediately on receipt of this, ofthe termination of the truce, and resume hostilities against hisarmy at the earliest moment you can, acting in good faith.

Very respectfully your obedient servant,

U. S. GRANT, Lieutenant-General.

HEADQUARTERS MILITARY DIVISION OF THE MISSISSIPPIIN THE FIELD, RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA, April 25, 1865.

Lieutenant-General U. S. GRANT, present.

GENERAL: I had the honor to receive your letter of April 21st, withinclosures, yesterday, and was well pleased that you came along, asyou must have observed that I held the military control so as toadapt it to any phase the case might assume.

It is but just I should record the fact that I made my terms withGeneral Johnston under the influence of the liberal terms youextended to the army of General Lee at Appomattox Court-House onthe 9th, and the seeming policy of our Government, as evinced bythe call of the Virginia Legislature and Governor back to Richmond,under yours and President Lincoln's very eyes.

It now appears this last act was done without any consultation withyou or any knowledge of Mr. Lincoln, but rather in opposition to aprevious policy well considered.

I have not the least desire to interfere in the civil policy of ourGovernment, but would shun it as something not to my liking; butoccasions do arise when a prompt seizure of results is forced onmilitary commanders not in immediate communication with the properauthority. It is probable that the terms signed by GeneralJohnston and myself were not clear enough on the point, wellunderstood between us, that our negotiations did not apply to anyparties outside the officers and men of the Confederate armies,which could easily have been remedied.

No surrender of any army not actually at the mercy of an antagonistwas ever made without "terms," and these always define the militarystatus of the surrendered. Thus you stipulated that the officersand men of Lee's army should not be molested at their homes so longas they obeyed the laws at the place of their residence.

I do not wish to discuss these points involved in our recognitionof the State governments in actual existence, but will merely statemy conclusions, to await the solution of the future.

Such action on our part in no manner recognizes for a moment theso-called Confederate Government, or makes us liable for its debtsor acts.

The laws and acts done by the several States during the period ofrebellion are void, because done without the oath prescribed by ourConstitution of the United States, which is a "conditionprecedent."

We have a right to, use any sort of machinery to produce militaryresults; and it is the commonest thing for military commanders touse the civil governments in actual existence as a means to an end.I do believe we could and can use the present State governmentslawfully, constitutionally, and as the very best possible means toproduce the object desired, viz., entire and complete submission tothe lawful authority of the United States.

As to punishment for past crimes, that is for the judiciary, andcan in no manner of way be disturbed by our acts; and, so far as Ican, I will use my influence that rebels shall suffer all thepersonal punishment prescribed by law, as also the civilliabilities arising from their past acts.

What we now want is the new form of law by which common men mayregain the positions of industry, so long disturbed by the war.

I now apprehend that the rebel armies will disperse; and, insteadof dealing with six or seven States, we will have to deal withnumberless bands of desperadoes, headed by such men as Mosby,Forrest, Red Jackson, and others, who know not and care not fordanger and its consequences.

I am, with great respect, your obedient servant,

W. T. SHERMAN, Major-General commanding.

HEADQUARTERS MILITARY DIVISION OF THE MISSISSIPPIIN THE FIELD, RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA, April 25, 1865.

Hon. E. M. STANTON, Secretary of War, Washington.

DEAR SIR: I have been furnished a copy of your letter of April 21stto General Grant, signifying your disapproval of the terms on whichGeneral Johnston proposed to disarm and disperse the insurgents, oncondition of amnesty, etc. I admit my folly in embracing in amilitary convention any civil matters; but, unfortunately, such isthe nature of our situation that they seem inextricably united, andI understood from you at Savannah that the financial state of thecountry demanded military success, and would warrant a littlebending to policy.

When I had my conference with General Johnston I had the publicexamples before me of General Grant's terms to Lee's army, andGeneral Weitzel's invitation to the Virginia Legislature toassemble at Richmond.

I still believe the General Government of the United States hasmade a mistake; but that is none of my business--mine is adifferent task; and I had flattered myself that, by four years ofpatient, unremitting, and successful labor, I deserved no remindersuch as is contained in the last paragraph of your letter toGeneral Grant. You may assure the President that I heed hissuggestion. I am truly, etc.,

W. T. SHERMAN, Major-General commanding.

On the same day, but later, I received an answer from GeneralJohnston, agreeing to meet me again at Bennett's house the nextday, April 26th, at noon. He did not even know that General Grantwas in Raleigh.

General Grant advised me to meet him, and to accept his surrenderon the same terms as his with General Lee; and on the 26th I againwent up to Durham's Station by rail, and rode out to Bennett'shouse, where we again met, and General Johneton, withouthesitation, agreed to, and we executed, the following final terms:

Terms of a Military Convention, entered into this 26th day ofApril, 1865, at Bennett's House, near Durham's Station., NorthCarolina, between General JOSEPH E. JOHNSTON, commanding theConfederate Army, and Major-General W. T. SHERMAN, commanding theUnited States Army in North Carolina:

1. All acts of war on the part of the troops under GeneralJohnston's command to cease from this date.

2. All arms and public property to be deposited at Greensboro',and delivered to an ordnance-officer of the United States Army.

3. Rolls of all the officers and men to be made in duplicate; onecopy to be retained by the commander of the troops, and the otherto be given to an officer to be designated by General Sherman.Each officer and man to give his individual obligation in writingnot to take up arms against the Government of the United States,until properly released from this obligation.

4. The side-arms of officers, and their private horses andbaggage, to be retained by them.

5. This being done, all the officers and men will be permitted toreturn to their homes, not to be disturbed by the United Statesauthorities, so long as they observe their obligation and the lawsin force where they may reside.

W. T. SHERMAN, Major-General,Commanding United States Forces in North Carolina.

J. E. JOHNSTON, General,Commanding Confederate States Forces in North Carolina.

Approved:

U. S. GRANT, Lieutenant-General.

I returned to Raleigh the same evening, and, at my request, GeneralGrant wrote on these terms his approval, and then I thought thematter was surely at an end. He took the original copy, on the27th returned to Newbern, and thence went back to Washington.

I immediately made all the orders necessary to carry into effectthe terms of this convention, devolving on General Schofield thedetails of granting the parole and making the muster-rolls ofprisoners, inventories of property, etc., of General Johnston'sarmy at and about Greensboro', North Carolina, and on GeneralWilson the same duties in Georgia; but, thus far, I had beencompelled to communicate with the latter through rebel sources, andGeneral Wilson was necessarily confused by the conflict of ordersand information. I deemed it of the utmost importance to establishfor him a more reliable base of information and supply, andaccordingly resolved to go in person to Savannah for that purpose.But, before starting, I received a New York Times, of April 24th,containing the following extraordinary communications:

[First Bulletin]

WAR DEPARTMENT WASHINGTON, April 22, 1885.

Yesterday evening a bearer of dispatches arrived from GeneralSherman. An agreement for a suspension of hostilities, and amemorandum of what is called a basis for peace, had been enteredinto on the 18th inst. by General Sherman, with the rebel GeneralJohnston. Brigadier-General Breckenridge was present at theconference.

A cabinet meeting was held at eight o'clock in the evening, atwhich the action of General Sherman was disapproved by thePresident, by the Secretary of War, by General Grant, and by everymember of the cabinet. General Sherman was ordered to resumehostilities immediately, and was directed that the instructionsgiven by the late President, in the following telegram, which waspenned by Mr. Lincoln himself, at the Capitol, on the night of the3d of March, were approved by President Andrew Johnson, and werereiterated to govern the action of military commanders.

On the night of the 3d of March, while President Lincoln and hiscabinet were at the Capitol, a telegram from General Grant wasbrought to the Secretary of War, informing him that General Lee hadrequested an interview or conference, to make an arrangement forterms of peace. The letter of General Lee was published in aletter to Davis and to the rebel Congress. General Grant'stelegram was submitted to Mr. Lincoln, who, after pondering a fewminutes, took up his pen and wrote with his own hand the followingreply, which he submitted to the Secretary of State and Secretaryof War. It was then dated, addressed, and signed, by the Secretaryof War, and telegraphed to General Grant:

WASHINGTON, March 3, 1865-12 P.M.

Lieutenant-General GRANT:

The President directs me to say to you that he wishes you to haveno conference with General Lee, unless it be for the capitulationof General Lee's army, or on some minor or purely military matter.He instructs me to say that you are not to decide, discuss, orconfer upon any political questions. Such questions the Presidentholds in his own hands, and will submit them to no militaryconferences or conventions.

Meantime you are to press to the utmost your military advantages.

EDWIN M. STANTON, Secretary of War.

The orders of General Sherman to General Stoneman to withdraw fromSalisbury and join him will probably open the way for Davis toescape to Mexico or Europe with his plunder, which is reported tobe very large, including not only the plunder of the Richmondbanks, but previous accumulations.

A dispatch received by this department from Richmond says: "It isstated here, by respectable parties, that the amount of specietaken south by Jeff. Davis and his partisans is very large,including not only the plunder of the Richmond banks, but previousaccumulations. They hope, it is said, to make terms with GeneralSherman, or some other commander, by which they will be permitted,with their effects, including this gold plunder, to go to Mexico orEurope. Johnston's negotiations look to this end."

After the cabinet meeting last night, General Grant started forNorth Carolina, to direct operations against Johnston's army.

The publication of this bulletin by authority was an outrage on me,for Mr. Stanton had failed to communicate to me in advance, as washis duty, the purpose of the Administration to limit ournegotiations to purely military matters; but, on the contrary, atSavannah he had authorized me to control all matters, civil andmilitary.

By this bulletin, he implied that I had previously been furnishedwith a copy of his dispatch of March 3d to General Grant, which wasnot so; and he gave warrant to the impression, which was sownbroadcast, that I might be bribed by banker's gold to permit Davisto escape. Under the influence of this, I wrote General Grant thefollowing letter of April 28th, which has been published in theProceedings of the Committee on the Conduct of the War.

I regarded this bulletin of Mr. Stanton as a personal and officialinsult, which I afterward publicly resented.

HEADQUARTERS MILITARY DIVISION OF THE MISSISSIPPIIN THE FIELD, RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA, April 28,1865.

Lieutenant-General U. S. GRANT, General-in-Chief, Washington, D. C.

GENERAL: Since you left me yesterday, I have seen the New YorkTimes of the 24th, containing a budget of military news,authenticated by the signature of the Secretary of War, Hon. E. M.Stanton, which is grouped in such a way as to give the public veryerroneous impressions. It embraces a copy of the basis ofagreement between myself and General Johnston, of April 18th, withcomments, which it will be time enough to discuss two or threeyears hence, after the Government has experimented a little more inthe machinery by which power reaches the scattered people of thevast country known as the "South."

In the mean time, however, I did think that my rank (if not pastservices) entitled me at least to trust that the Secretary of Warwould keep secret what was communicated for the use of none but thecabinet, until further inquiry could be made, instead of givingpublicity to it along with documents which I never saw, and drawingtherefrom inferences wide of the truth. I never saw or hadfurnished me a copy of President Lincoln's dispatch to you of the3d of March, nor did Mr. Stanton or any human being ever convey tome its substance, or any thing like it. On the contrary, I hadseen General Weitzel's invitation to the Virginia Legislature, madein Mr. Lincoln's very presence, and failed to discover any otherofficial hint of a plan of reconstruction, or any ideas calculatedto allay the fears of the people of the South, after thedestruction of their armies and civil authorities would leave themwithout any government whatever.

We should not drive a people into anarchy, and it is simplyimpossible for our military power to reach all the masses of theirunhappy country.

I confess I did not desire to drive General Johnston's army intobands of armed men, going about without purpose, and capable onlyof infinite mischief. But you saw, on your arrival here, that Ihad my army so disposed that his escape was only possible in adisorganized shape; and as you did not choose to "direct militaryoperations in this quarter," I inferred that you were satisfiedwith the military situation; at all events, the instant I learnedwhat was proper enough, the disapproval of the President, I actedin such a manner as to compel the surrender of General Johnston'swhole army on the same terms which you had prescribed to GeneralLee's army, when you had it surrounded and in your absolute power.

Mr. Stanton, in stating that my orders to General Stoneman werelikely to result in the escape of "Mr. Davis to Mexico or Europe,"is in deep error. General Stoneman was not at "Salisbury," but hadgone back to "Statesville." Davis was between us, and thereforeStoneman was beyond him. By turning toward me he was approachingDavis, and, had he joined me as ordered, I would have had a mountedforce greatly needed for Davis's capture, and for other purposes.Even now I don't know that Mr. Stanton wants Davis caught, and asmy official papers, deemed sacred, are hastily published to theworld, it will be imprudent for me to state what has been done inthat regard.

As the editor of the Times has (it may be) logically and fairlydrawn from this singular document the conclusion that I aminsubordinate, I can only deny the intention.

I have never in my life questioned or disobeyed an order, thoughmany and many a time have I risked my life, health, and reputation,in obeying orders, or even hints to execute plans and purposes, notto my liking. It is not fair to withhold from me the plans andpolicy of Government (if any there be), and expect me to guess atthem; for facts and events appear quite different from differentstand-points. For four years I have been in camp dealing withsoldiers, and I can assure you that the conclusion at which thecabinet arrived with such singular unanimity differs from mine.I conferred freely with the best officers in this army as to thepoints involved in this controversy, and, strange to say, they weresingularly unanimous in the other conclusion. They will learn withpain and amazement that I am deemed insubordinate, and wanting incommonsense; that I, who for four years have labored day and night,winter and summer, who have brought an army of seventy thousand menin magnificent condition across a country hitherto deemedimpassable, and placed it just where it was wanted, on the dayappointed, have brought discredit on our Government! I do not wishto boast of this, but I do say that it entitled me to the courtesyof being consulted, before publishing to the world a propositionrightfully submitted to higher authority for adjudication, and thenaccompanied by statements which invited the dogs of the press to belet loose upon me. It is true that non-combatants, men who sleepin comfort and security while we watch on the distant lines, arebetter able to judge than we poor soldiers, who rarely see anewspaper, hardly hear from our families, or stop long enough todraw our pay. I envy not the task of "reconstruction," and amdelighted that the Secretary of War has relieved me of it.

As you did not undertake to assume the management of the affairs ofthis army, I infer that, on personal inspection, your mind arrivedat a different conclusion from that of the Secretary of War. Iwill therefore go on to execute your orders to the conclusion, and,when done, will with intense satisfaction leave to the civilauthorities the execution of the task of which they seem sojealous. But, as an honest man and soldier, I invite them to goback to Nashville and follow my path, for they will see some thingsand hear some things that may disturb their philosophy.

With sincere respect,

W. T. SHERMAN, Major-General commanding.

P. S.--As Mr. Stanton's most singular paper has been published, Idemand that this also be made public, though I am in no mannerresponsible to the press, but to the law, and my proper superiors.W. T. S., Major-General.

On the 28th I summoned all the army and corps commanders togetherat my quarters in the Governor's mansion at Raleigh, where everything was explained to them, and all orders for the future werecompleted. Generals Schofield, Terry, and Kilpatrick, were toremain on duty in the Department of North Carolina, alreadycommanded by General Schofield, and the right and left wings wereordered to march under their respective commanding generals Northby easy stages to Richmond, Virginia, there to await my returnfrom the South.

On the 29th of April, with a part of my personal staff, I proceededby rail to Wilmington, North Carolina, where I found GeneralsHawley and Potter, and the little steamer Russia, Captain Smith,awaiting me. After a short pause in Wilmington, we embarked, andproceeded down the coast to Port Royal and the Savannah River,which we reached on the 1st of May. There Captain Hoses, who hadjust come from General Wilson at Macon, met us, bearing letters forme and General Grant, in which General Wilson gave a brief summaryof his operations up to date. He had marched from Eastport,Mississippi, five hundred miles in thirty days, took six thousandthree hundred prisoners, twenty-three colors, and one hundred andfifty-six guns, defeating Forrest, scattering the militia, anddestroying every railroad, iron establishment, and factory, inNorth Alabama and Georgia.

He spoke in the highest terms of his cavalry, as "cavalry,"claiming that it could not be excelled, and he regarded his corpsas a model for modern cavalry in organization, armament, anddiscipline. Its strength was given at thirteen thousand fivehundred men and horses on reaching Macon. Of course I wasextremely gratified at his just confidence, and saw that all hewanted for efficient action was a sure base of supply, so that heneed no longer depend for clothing, ammunition, food, and forage,on the country, which, now that war had ceased, it was our solemnduty to protect, instead of plunder. I accordingly ordered thecaptured steamer Jeff. Davis to be loaded with stores, to proceedat once up the Savannah River to Augusta, with a small detachmentof troops to occupy the arsenal, and to open communication withGeneral Wilson at Macon; and on the next day, May 2d, this steamerwas followed by another with a fall cargo of clothing, sugar,coffee, and bread, sent from Hilton Head by the departmentcommander, General Gillmore, with a stronger guard commanded byGeneral Molineux. Leaving to General Gillmore, who was present,and in whose department General Wilson was, to keep up the suppliesat Augusta, and to facilitate as far as possible General Wilson'soperations inland, I began my return on the 2d of May. We wentinto Charleston Harbor, passing the ruins of old Forts Moultrie andSumter without landing. We reached the city of Charleston, whichwas held by part of the division of General John P. Hatch, thesame that we had left at Pocotaligo. We walked the old familiarstreets--Broad, King, Meeting, etc.--but desolation and ruin wereeverywhere. The heart of the city had been burned during thebombardment, and the rebel garrison at the time of its finalevacuation had fired the railroad-depots, which fire had spread,and was only subdued by our troops after they had reached the city.

I inquired for many of my old friends, but they were dead or gone,and of them all I only saw a part of the family of Mrs. Pettigru.I doubt whether any city was ever more terribly punished thanCharleston, but, as her people had for years been agitating for warand discord, and had finally inaugurated the civil war by an attackon the small and devoted garrison of Major Anderson, sent there bythe General Government to defend them, the judgment of the worldwill be, that Charleston deserved the fate that befell her.Resuming our voyage, we passed into Cape Fear River by its mouth atFort Caswell and Smithville, and out by the new channel at FortFisher, and reached Morehead City on the 4th of May. We foundthere the revenue-cutter Wayanda, on board of which were the Chief-Justice, Mr. Chase, and his daughter Nettie, now Mrs. Hoyt. TheChief-Justice at that moment was absent on a visit to Newbern, butcame back the next day. Meantime, by means of the telegraph, I wasagain in correspondence with General Schofield at Raleigh. He hadmade great progress in parolling the officers and men of Johnston'sarmy at Greensboro', but was embarrassed by the utter confusion andanarchy that had resulted from a want of understanding on manyminor points, and on the political questions that had to be met atthe instant. In order to facilitate the return to their homes ofthe Confederate officers and men, he had been forced to make withGeneral Johnston the following supplemental terms, which were ofcourse ratified and approved:

MILITARY CONVENTION OF APRIL 26, 1865.SUPPLEMENTAL TERMS.

1. The field transportation to be loaned to the troops for theirmarch to their homes, and for subsequent use in their industrialpursuits. Artillery-horses may be used in field-transportation, ifnecessary.

2. Each brigade or separate body to retain a number of arms equalto one-seventh of its effective strength, which, when the troopsreach the capitals of their states, will be disposed of as thegeneral commanding the department may direct.

3. Private horses, and other private property of both officers andmen, to be retained by them.

4. The commanding general of the Military Division of WestMississippi, Major-General Canby, will be requested to givetransportation by water, from Mobile or New Orleans, to the troopsfrom Arkansas and Texas.

5. The obligations of officers and soldiers to be signed by theirimmediate commanders.

6. Naval forces within the limits of General Johnston's command tobe included in the terms of this convention.

J. M. SCHOFIELD, Major-General,Commanding United States Forces in North Carolina.

J. E. JOHNSTON, General,Commanding Confederate States Forces in North Carolina.

The total number of prisoners of war parolled byGeneral Schofield, at Greensboro', North Carolina,as afterward officially reported, amounted to ........ 38,817

And the total number who surrendered in Georgiaand Florida, as reported by General J. H. Wilson,was .................................................. 52,458

On the morning of the 5th I also received from General Schofieldthis dispatch:

RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA, May 5, 1866.

To Major-General W: T. SHERMAN, Morehead City:

When General Grant was here, as you doubtless recollect, he saidthe lines (for trade and intercourse) had been extended to embracethis and other States south. The order, it seems, has beenmodified so as to include only Virginia and Tennessee. I think itwould be an act of wisdom to open this State to trade at once.

I hope the Government will make known its policy as to the organsof State government without delay. Affairs must necessarily be ina very unsettled state until that is done. The people are now in amood to accept almost anything which promises a definitesettlement. "What is to be done with the freedmen?" is thequestion of all, and it is the all important question. It requiresprompt and wise notion to prevent the negroes from becoming a hugeelephant on our hands. If I am to govern this State, it isimportant for me to know it at once. If another is to be senthere, it cannot be done too soon, for he probably will undo themost that I shall have done. I shall be glad to hear from youfully, when you have time to write. I will send your message toGeneral Wilson at once.

J. M. SCHOFIELD, Major-General.

I was utterly without instructions from any source on the points ofGeneral Schofield's inquiry, and under the existing state of factscould not even advise him, for by this time I was in possession ofthe second bulletin of Mr. Stanton, published in all the Northernpapers, with comments that assumed that I was a common traitor anda public enemy; and high officials had even instructed my ownsubordinates to disobey my lawful orders. General Halleck, who hadso long been in Washington as the chief of staff, had been sent onthe 21st of April to Richmond, to command the armies of the Potomacand James, in place of General Grant, who had transferred hisheadquarters to the national capital, and he (General Halleck) wastherefore in supreme command in Virginia, while my command overNorth Carolina had never been revoked or modified.

[Second Bulletin.]

WAR DEPARTMENT, WASHINGTON, April 27 9.30 a.m.

To Major-General DIX:

The department has received the following dispatch from Major-General Halleck, commanding the Military Division of the James.Generals Canby and Thomas were instructed some days ago thatSherman's arrangements with Johnston were disapproved by thePresident, and they were ordered to disregard it and push the enemyin every direction.

E. M. STANTON, Secretary of War.

RICHMOND, VIRGINIA, April 26-9.30 p.m.

HON. E. M. STANTON, Secretary of War:

Generals Meade, Sheridan, and Wright, are acting under orders topay no regard to any truce or orders of General Sherman respectinghostilities, on the ground that Sherman's agreement could bind hiscommand only, and no other.

They are directed to push forward, regardless of orders from anyone except from General Grant, and cut off Johnston's retreat.

Beauregard has telegraphed to Danville that a new arrangement hasbeen made with Sherman, and that the advance of the Sixth Corps wasto be suspended until further orders.

I have telegraphed back to obey no orders of Sherman, but to pushforward as rapidly as possible.

The bankers here have information to-day that Jeff. Davis's specieis moving south from Goldsboro', in wagons, as fast as possible.

I suggest that orders be telegraphed, through General Thomas, thatWilson obey no orders from Sherman, and notifying him and Canby,and all commanders on the Mississippi, to take measures tointercept the rebel chiefs and their plunder.

The specie taken with them is estimated here at from six tothirteen million dollars.

H. W. HALLECK, Major-General commanding.

Subsequently, before the Committee on the Conduct of the War, inWashington, on the 22d of May, I testified fully on this wholematter, and will abide the judgment of the country on thepatriotism and wisdom of my public conduct in this connection.General Halleck's measures to capture General Johnston's army,actually surrendered to me at the time, at Greensboro', on the 26thof April, simply excited my contempt for a judgment such as he wassupposed to possess. The assertion that Jeff. Davis's specie-train, of six to thirteen million dollars, was reported to bemoving south from Goldsboro' in wagons as fast as possible, foundplenty of willing ears, though my army of eighty thousand men hadbeen at Goldsboro' from March 22d to the date of his dispatch,April 26th; and such a train would have been composed of fromfifteen to thirty-two six-mule teams to have hauled this specie,even if it all were in gold. I suppose the exact amount oftreasure which Davis had with him is now known to a cent; some ofit was paid to his escort, when it disbanded at and nearWashington, Georgia, and at the time of his capture he had a smallparcel of gold and silver coin, not to exceed ten thousand dollars,which is now retained in the United States Treasury-vault atWashington, and shown to the curious.

The thirteen millions of treasure, with which Jeff. Davis was tocorrupt our armies and buy his escape, dwindled down to thecontents of a hand-valise!

To say that I was merely angry at the tone and substance of thesepublished bulletins of the War Department, would hardly express thestate of my feelings. I was outraged beyond measure, and wasresolved to resent the insult, cost what it might. I went to theWayanda and showed them to Mr. Chase, with whom I had a long andfrank conversation, during which he explained to me the confusioncaused in Washington by the assassination of Mr. Lincoln, thesudden accession to power of Mr. Johnson, who was then supposed tobe bitter and vindictive in his feelings toward the South, and thewild pressure of every class of politicians to enforce on the newPresident their pet schemes. He showed me a letter of his own,which was in print, dated Baltimore, April 11th, and another ofApril 12th, addressed to the President, urging him to recognize thefreedmen as equal in all respects to the whites. He was the firstman, of any authority or station, who ever informed me that theGovernment of the United States would insist on extending to theformer slaves of the South the elective franchise, and he gave as areason the fact that the slaves, grateful for their freedom, forwhich they were indebted to the armies and Government of the North,would, by their votes, offset the disaffected and rebel element ofthe white population of the South. At that time quite a storm wasprevailing at sea, outside, and our two vessels lay snug at thewharf at Morehead City. I saw a good deal of Mr. Chase, andseveral notes passed between us, of which I have the originals yet.Always claiming that the South had herself freed all her slaves byrebellion, and that Mr. Lincoln's proclamation of freedom (ofSeptember 22, 1862) was binding on all officers of the GeneralGovernment, I doubted the wisdom of at once clothing them with theelective franchise, without some previous preparation andqualification; and then realized the national loss in the death atthat critical moment of Mr. Lincoln, who had long pondered over thedifficult questions involved, who, at all events, would have beenhonest and frank, and would not have withheld from his armycommanders at least a hint that would have been to them a guide.It was plain to me, therefore, that the manner of his assassinationhad stampeded the civil authorities in Washington, had unnervedthem, and that they were then undecided as to the measuresindispensably necessary to prevent anarchy at the South.

On the 7th of May the storm subsided, and we put to sea, Mr. Chaseto the south, on his proposed tour as far as New Orleans, and I forJames River. I reached Fortress Monroe on the 8th, and thencetelegraphed my arrival to General Grant, asking for orders. Ifound at Fortress Monroe a dispatch from General Halleck,professing great friendship, and inviting me to accept hishospitality at Richmond. I answered by a cipher-dispatch that Ihad seen his dispatch to Mr. Stanton, of April 26th, embraced inthe second bulletin, which I regarded as insulting, declined hishospitality, and added that I preferred we should not meet as Ipassed through Richmond. I thence proceeded to City Point in theRussia, and on to Manchester, opposite Richmond, via Petersburg, byrail. I found that both wings of the army had arrived fromRaleigh, and were in camp in and around Manchester, whence I againtelegraphed General Grant, an the 9th of May, for orders, and alsoreported my arrival to General Halleck by letter. I found thatGeneral Halleck had ordered General Davis's corps (the Fourteenth)for review by himself. This I forbade. All the army knew of theinsult that had been made me by the Secretary of War and GeneralHalleck, and watched me closely to see if I would tamely submit.During the 9th I made a full and complete report of all theseevents, from the last report made at Goldsboro' up to date, and thenext day received orders to continue the march to Alexandria, nearWashington.

On the morning of the 11th we crossed the pontoon-bridge atRichmond, marched through that city, and out on the Han overCourt House road, General Slocum's left wing leading. The right wing(General Logan) followed the next day, viz., the 12th. Meantime,General O. O. Howard had been summoned to Washington to take chargeof the new Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, and,from that time till the army was finally disbanded, General John A.Logan was in command of the right wing, and of the Army of theTennessee. The left wing marched through Hanover Court House, andthence took roads well to the left by Chilesburg; the FourteenthCorps by New Market and Culpepper, Manassas, etc.; the TwentiethCorps by Spotsylvania Court-House and Chancellorsville. The rightwing followed the more direct road by Fredericksburg. On my waynorth I endeavored to see as much of the battle-fields of the Armyof the Potomac as I could, and therefore shifted from one column tothe other, visiting en route Hanover Court-House, Spotsylvania,Fredericksburg, Dumfries, etc., reaching Alexandria during theafternoon of May 19th, and pitched my camp by the road side, abouthalf-way between Alexandria and the Long Bridge. During the sameand next day the whole army reached Alexandria, and camped roundabout it; General Meade's Army of the Potomac had possession of thecamps above, opposite Washington and Georgetown. The next day (byinvitation) I went over to Washington and met many friends--amongthem General Grant and President Johnson. The latter occupiedrooms in the house on the corner of Fifteenth and H Streets,belonging to Mr. Hooper. He was extremely cordial to me, andknowing that I was chafing under the censures of the WarDepartment, especially of the two war bulletins of Mr. Stanton, hevolunteered to say that he knew of neither of them till seen in thenewspapers, and that Mr. Stanton had shown neither to him nor toany of his associates in the cabinet till they were published.Nearly all the members of the cabinet made similar assurances to meafterward, and, as Mr. Stanton made no friendly advances, andoffered no word of explanation or apology, I declined GeneralGrant's friendly offices for a reconciliation, but, on thecontrary, resolved to resent what I considered an insult, aspublicly as it was made. My brother, Senator Sherman, who was Mr.Stanton's neighbor, always insisted that Mr. Stanton had beenfrightened by the intended assassination of himself, and had becomeembittered thereby. At all events, I found strong military guardsaround his house, as well as all the houses occupied by the cabinetand by the principal officers of Government; and a sense ofinsecurity pervaded Washington, for which no reason existed.

On the 19th I received a copy of War Department Special Order No.239, Adjutant-General's office, of May 18th, ordering a grandreview, by the President and cabinet, of all the armies then nearWashington; General Meade's to occur on Tuesday, May 23d, mine onWednesday, the 24th; and on the 20th I made the necessary ordersfor my part. Meantime I had also arranged (with General Grant'sapproval) to remove after the review, my armies from the south sideof the Potomac to the north; both for convenience and because ourmen had found that the grounds assigned them had been used so longfor camps that they were foul and unfit.

By invitation I was on the reviewing-stand, and witnessed thereview of the Army of the Potomac (on the 23d), commanded byGeneral Meade in person. The day was beautiful, and the pageantwas superb. Washington was full of strangers, who filled thestreets in holiday-dress, and every house was decorated with flags.The army marched by divisions in close column around the Capitol,down Pennsylvania Avenue, past the President and cabinet, whooccupied a large stand prepared for the occasion, directly in frontof the White House.

I had telegraphed to Lancaster for Mrs. Sherman, who arrived thatday, accompanied by her father, the Hon. Thomas Ewing, and my sonTom, then eight years old.

During the afternoon and night of the 23d, the Fifteenth, Seventeenth,and Twentieth Corps, crossed Long Bridge, bivouacked in thestreets about the Capitol, and the Fourteenth Corps closed up tothe bridge. The morning of the 24th was extremely beautiful, andthe ground was in splendid order for our review. The streets werefilled with people to see the pageant, armed with bouquets offlowers for their favorite regiments or heroes, and every thing waspropitious. Punctually at 9 A.M. the signal-gun was fired, when inperson, attended by General Howard and all my staff, I rode slowlydown Pennsylvania Avenue, the crowds of men, women, and children,densely lining the sidewalks, and almost obstructing the way. Wewere followed close by General Logan and the head of the FifteenthCorps. When I reached the Treasury-building, and looked back, thesight was simply magnificent. The column was compact, and theglittering muskets looked like a solid mass of steel, moving withthe regularity of a pendulum. We passed the Treasury building, infront of which and of the White House was an immense throng ofpeople, for whom extensive stands had been prepared on both sidesof the avenue. As I neared the brick-house opposite the lowercorner of Lafayette Square, some one asked me to notice Mr. Seward,who, still feeble and bandaged for his wounds, had been removedthere that he might behold the troops. I moved in that directionand took off my hat to Mr. Seward, who sat at an upper window. Herecognized the salute, returned it, and then we rode on steadilypast the President, saluting with our swords. All on his standarose and acknowledged the salute. Then, turning into the gate ofthe presidential grounds, we left our horses with orderlies, andwent upon the stand, where I found Mrs. Sherman, with her fatherand son. Passing them, I shook hands with the President, GeneralGrant, and each member of the cabinet. As I approached Mr.Stanton, he offered me his hand, but I declined it publicly, andthe fact was universally noticed. I then took my post on the leftof the President, and for six hours and a half stood, while thearmy passed in the order of the Fifteenth, Seventeenth, Twentieth,and Fourteenth Corps. It was, in my judgment, the most magnificentarmy in existence--sixty-five thousand men, in splendid physique,who had just completed a march of nearly two thousand miles in ahostile country, in good drill, and who realized that they werebeing closely scrutinized by thousands of their fellow-countrymenand by foreigners. Division after division passed, each commanderof an army corps or division coming on the stand during the passageof his command, to be presented to the President, cabinet, andspectators. The steadiness and firmness of the tread, the carefuldress on the guides, the uniform intervals between the companies,all eyes directly to the front, and the tattered and bullet-ridenflags, festooned with flowers, all attracted universal notice.Many good people, up to that time, had looked upon our Western armyas a sort of mob; but the world then saw, and recognized the fact,that it was an army in the proper sense, well organized, wellcommanded and disciplined; and there was no wonder that it hadswept through the South like a tornado. For six hours and a halfthat strong tread of the Army of the West resounded alongPennsylvania Avenue; not a soul of that vast crowd of spectatorsleft his place; and, when the rear of the column had passed by,thousands of the spectators still lingered to express their senseof confidence in the strength of a Government which could claimsuch an army.

Some little scenes enlivened the day, and called for the laughterand cheers of the crowd. Each division was followed by sixambulances, as a representative of its baggage-train. Some of thedivision commanders had added, by way of variety, goats, milch-cows, and pack-mules, whose loads consisted of game-cocks, poultry,hams, etc., and some of them had the families of freed slavesalong, with the women leading their children. Each division waspreceded by its corps of black pioneers, armed with picks andspades. These marched abreast in double ranks, keeping perfectdress and step, and added much to the interest of the occasion. Onthe whole, the grand review was a splendid success, and was afitting conclusion to the campaign and the war.

I will now conclude by a copy of my general orders taking leave ofthe army, which ended my connection with the war, though Iafterward visited and took a more formal leave of the officers andmen on July 4, 1865, at Louisville, Kentucky:

[SPECIAL FIELD ORDERS NO. 76]

HEADQUARTERS MILITARY DIVISION OF THE MISSISSIPPI,IN THE FIELD, WASHINGTON, D.C. May 30, 1865

The general commanding announces to the Armies of the Tennessee andGeorgia that the time has come for us to part. Our work is done,and armed enemies no longer defy us. Some of you will go to yourhomes, and others will be retained in military service till furtherorders.

And now that we are all about to separate, to mingle with the civilworld, it becomes a pleasing duty to recall to mind the situationof national affairs when, but little more than a year ago, we weregathered about the cliffs of Lookout Mountain, and all the futurewas wrapped in doubt and uncertainty.

Three armies had come together from distant fields, with separatehistories, yet bound by one common cause--the union of our country,and the perpetuation of the Government of our inheritance. Thereis no need to recall to your memories Tunnel Hill, with Rocky-FaceMountain and Buzzard-Roost Gap, and the ugly forts of Daltonbehind.

We were in earnest, and paused not for danger and diffculty, butdashed through Snake-Creek Gap and fell on Resaca; then on to theEtowah, to Dallas, Kenesaw; and the heats of summer found us on thebanks of the Chattahoochee, far from home, and dependent on asingle road for supplies. Again we were not to be held back by anyobstacle, and crossed over and fought four hard battles for thepossession of the citadel of Atlanta. That was the crisis of ourhistory. A doubt still clouded our future, but we solved theproblem, destroyed Atlanta, struck boldly across the State ofGeorgia, severed all the main arteries of life to our enemy, andChristmas found us at Savannah.

Waiting there only long enough to fill our wagons, we again began amarch which, for peril, labor, and results, will compare with anyever made by an organized army. The floods of the Savannah, theswamps of the Combahee and Edisto, the "high hills" and rocks ofthe Santee, the flat quagmires of the Pedee and Cape Fear Rivers,were all passed in midwinter, with its floods and rains, in theface of an accumulating enemy; and, after the battles ofAverysboro' and Bentonsville, we once more came out of thewilderness, to meet our friends at Goldsboro'. Even then we pausedonly long enough to get new clothing, to reload our wagons, againpushed on to Raleigh and beyond, until we met our enemy suing forpeace, instead of war, and offering to submit to the injured lawsof his and our country. As long as that enemy was defiant, normountains nor rivers, nor swamps, nor hunger, nor cold, had checkedus; but when he, who had fought us hard and persistently, offeredsubmission, your general thought it wrong to pursue him farther,and negotiations followed, which resulted, as you all know, in hissurrender.

How far the operations of this army contributed to the finaloverthrow of the Confederacy and the peace which now dawns upon us,must be judged by others, not by us; but that you have done allthat men could do has been admitted by those in authority, and wehave a right to join in the universal joy that fills our landbecause the war is over, and our Government stands vindicatedbefore the world by the joint action of the volunteer armies andnavy of the United States.

To such as remain in the service, your general need only remind youthat success in the past was due to hard work and discipline, andthat the same work and discipline are equally important in thefuture. To such as go home, he will only say that our favoredcountry is so grand, so extensive, so diversified in climate, soil,and productions, that every man may find a home and occupationsuited to his taste; none should yield to the natural impatiencesure to result from our past life of excitement and adventure. Youwill be invited to seek new adventures abroad; do not yield to thetemptation, for it will lead only to death and disappointment.

Your general now bids you farewell, with the full belief that, asin war you have been good soldiers, so in peace you will make goodcitizens; and if, unfortunately, new war should arise in ourcountry, "Sherman's army" will be the first to buckle on its oldarmor, and come forth to defend and maintain the Government of ourinheritance.

By order of Major-General W. T. Sherman,

L. M. DAYTON, Assistant Adjutant-General.

List of the Average Number of Miles marched by the Different ArmyCorps of the United States Forces under Command of Major-General W.T. SHERMAN, United States Army, during his Campaigns: 1863-'64-'65.

4th 14th 15th 16th 17th 20th Corps. Corps. Corps. Corps Corps. Corps.

Miles: 110 1,586 2,289 508 2,076 1,525

CHAPTER XXV.

CONCLUSION--MILITARY LESSONS OF THE WAR.

Having thus recorded a summary of events, mostly under my ownpersonal supervision, during the years from 1846 to 1865, it seemsproper that I should add an opinion of some of the useful militarylessons to be derived therefrom.

That civil war, by reason of the existence of slavery, wasapprehended by most of the leading statesmen of the half-centurypreceding its outbreak, is a matter of notoriety. General Scotttold me on my arrival at New York, as early as 1850, that thecountry was on the eve of civil war; and the Southern politiciansopenly asserted that it was their purpose to accept as a casusbelli the election of General Fremont in 1856; but, fortunately orunfortunately, he was beaten by Mr. Buchanan, which simplypostponed its occurrence for four years. Mr. Seward had alsopublicly declared that no government could possibly exist halfslave and half free; yet the Government made no militarypreparation, and the Northern people generally paid no attention,took no warning of its coming, and would not realize its existencetill Fort Sumter was fired on by batteries of artillery, handled bydeclared enemies, from the surrounding islands and from the city ofCharleston.

General Bragg, who certainly was a man of intelligence, and who, inearly life, ridiculed a thousand times, in my hearing, the threatsof the people of South Carolina to secede from the Federal Union,said to me in New Orleans, in February, 1861, that he was convincedthat the feeling between the slave and free States had become soembittered that it was better to part in peace; better to partanyhow; and, as a separation was inevitable, that the South shouldbegin at once, because the possibility of a successful effort wasyearly lessened by the rapid and increasing inequality between thetwo sections, from the fact that all the European immigrants werecoming to the Northern States and Territories, and none to theSouthern.

The slave population m 1860 was near four millions, and the moneyvalue thereof not far from twenty-five hundred million dollars.Now, ignoring the moral side of the question, a cause thatendangered so vast a moneyed interest was an adequate cause ofanxiety and preparation, and the Northern leaders surely ought tohave foreseen the danger and prepared for it. After the electionof Mr. Lincoln in 1860, there was no concealment of the declarationand preparation for war in the South. In Louisiana, as I haverelated, men were openly enlisted, officers were appointed, and warwas actually begun, in January, 1861. The forts at the mouth ofthe Mississippi were seized, and occupied by garrisons that hauleddown the United States flag and hoisted that of the State. TheUnited States Arsenal at Baton Rouge was captured by New Orleansmilitia, its garrison ignominiously sent off, and the contents ofthe arsenal distributed. These were as much acts of war as was thesubsequent firing on Fort Sumter, yet no public notice was takenthereof; and when, months afterward, I came North, I found not onesingle sign of preparation. It was for this reason, somewhat, thatthe people of the South became convinced that those of the Northwere pusillanimous and cowardly, and the Southern leaders werethereby enabled to commit their people to the war, nominally indefense of their slave property. Up to the hour of the firing onFort Sumter, in April, 1861, it does seem to me that our publicmen, our politicians, were blamable for not sounding the note ofalarm.

Then, when war was actually begun, it was by a call for seventy-five thousand "ninety-day" men, I suppose to fulfill Mr. Seward'sprophecy that the war would last but ninety days.

The earlier steps by our political Government were extremelywavering and weak, for which an excuse can be found in the factthat many of the Southern representatives remained in Congress,sharing in the public councils, and influencing legislation. Butas soon as Mr. Lincoln was installed, there was no longer anyreason why Congress and the cabinet should have hesitated. Theyshould have measured the cause, provided the means, and left theExecutive to apply the remedy.

At the time of Mr. Lincoln's inauguration, viz., March 4, 1861, theRegular Army, by law, consisted of two regiments of dragoons, tworegiments of cavalry, one regiment of mounted rifles, fourregiments of artillery, and ten regiments of infantry, admitting ofan aggregate strength of thirteen thousand and twenty-four officersand men. On the subsequent 4th of May the President, by his ownorders (afterward sanctioned by Congress), added a regiment ofcavalry, a regiment of artillery, and eight regiments of infantry,which, with the former army, admitted of a strength of thirty-ninethousand nine hundred and seventy-three; but at no time during thewar did the Regular Army attain a strength of twenty-five thousandmen.

To the new regiments of infantry was given an organizationdiffering from any that had heretofore prevailed in this country--of three battalions of eight companies each; but at no time didmore than one of these regiments attain its full standard; nor inthe vast army of volunteers that was raised during the war were anyof the regiments of infantry formed on the three-battalion system,but these were universally single battalions of ten companies; sothat, on the reorganization of the Regular Army at the close of thewar, Congress adopted the form of twelve companies for theregiments of cavalry and artillery, and that of ten companies forthe infantry, which is the present standard.

Inasmuch as the Regular Army will naturally form the standard oforganization for any increase or for new regiments of volunteers,it becomes important to study this subject in the light of pastexperience, and to select that form which is best for peace as wellas war.

A cavalry regiment is now composed of twelve companies, usuallydivided into six squadrons, of two companies each, or bettersubdivided into three battalions of four companies each. This isan excellent form, easily admitting of subdivision as well as unioninto larger masses.

A single battalion of four companies, with a field-officer, willcompose a good body for a garrison, for a separate expedition, orfor a detachment; and, in war, three regiments would compose a goodbrigade, three brigades a division, and three divisions a strongcavalry corps, such as was formed and fought by Generals Sheridanand Wilson during the war.

In the artillery arm, the officers differ widely in their opinionof the true organization. A single company forms a battery, andhabitually each battery acts separately, though sometimes severalare united or "massed;" but these always act in concert withcavalry or infantry.

Nevertheless, the regimental organization for artillery has alwaysbeen maintained in this country for classification and promotion.Twelve companies compose a regiment, and, though probably nocolonel ever commanded his full regiment in the form of twelvebatteries, yet in peace they occupy our heavy sea-coast forts oract as infantry; then the regimental organization is both necessaryand convenient.

But the infantry composes the great mass of all armies, and thetrue form of the regiment or unit has been the subject of infinitediscussion; and, as I have stated, during the civil war theregiment was a single battalion of ten companies. In olden timesthe regiment was composed of eight battalion companies and twoflank companies. The first and tenth companies were armed withrifles, and were styled and used as "skirmishers;" but during 'thewar they were never used exclusively for that special purpose, andin fact no distinction existed between them and the other eightcompanies.

The ten-company organization is awkward in practice, and I amsatisfied that the infantry regiment should have the same identicalorganization as exists for the cavalry and artillery, viz., twelvecompanies, so as to be susceptible of division into threebattalions of four companies each.

These companies should habitually be about a hundred one menstrong, giving twelve hundred to a regiment, which in practicewould settle down to about one thousand men.

Three such regiments would compose a brigade, three brigades adivision, and three divisions a corps. Then, by allowing to aninfantry corps a brigade of cavalry and six batteries offield-artillery, we would have an efficient corps d'armee ofthirty thousand men, whose organization would be simple and mostefficient, and whose strength should never be allowed to fall belowtwenty-five thousand men.

The corps is the true unit for grand campaigns and battle, shouldhave a full and perfect staff, and every thing requisite forseparate action, ready at all times to be detached and sent off forany nature of service. The general in command should have the rankof lieutenant-general, and should be, by experience and education,equal to any thing in war. Habitually with us he was a major-general, specially selected and assigned to the command by an orderof the President, constituting, in fact, a separate grade.

The division is the unit of administration, and is the legitimatecommand of a major general.

The brigade is the next subdivision, and is commanded by abrigadier-general.

The regiment is the family. The colonel, as the father, shouldhave a personal acquaintance with every officer and man, and shouldinstill a feeling of pride and affection for himself, so that hisofficers and men would naturally look to him for personal adviceand instruction. In war the regiment should never be subdivided,